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Lucrehulk-Class Battleship
The Lucrehulk-class battleship was the primary capital ship of the Trade Federation's Trade Defense Force. Most Lucrehulks were modified from enormous cargo haulers. These battleships were later heavily upgraded and used by the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. They were used later on by the Separatist holdouts, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the Corporate Sector Authority and the Killik Colony. Description The Lucrehulk-class battleship was massive at over 3 kilometers in diameter. At the center of ship was a core that contained the bridge and reactor assembly. The front of the craft's outer ring held two mammoth docking bays on either side, which were lined with forward docking claws. These giant cargo vessels had been built for decades by the Trade Federation to haul cargo between planets and were important to their enterprise. Housed in the stern of the main body were the main reactors, each connected to 1 of the 3 main engines, as well as to secondary engines and each other. The central sphere housed its own reactor/power generator assemblies. Lining the equatorial bands in batteries of three, were quad turbolaser that could rotate inwards when not in use. Their limited coverage of the hull made the early battleship models vulnerable, and made them rely more on the many starfighters carried to defend the ships against enemy starfighters. This problem was rectified with later Lucrehulk battleships, which had armor and shields that proved too strong for starfighter firepower, the fact becoming quickly apparent at the Battle of Naboo. The pre–Clone Wars models of the battleships had major defense flaws, as Anakin Skywalker was able to fly an N-1 starfighter into the hanger of a Droid Control Ship and destroy the main reactor. The explosion destroyed the battleship and resulted in the de-activation of the droid army units and a Naboo victory. Clone Wars-era models Lucrehulk-class battleships that fought in the Clone Wars had less trouble with weak spots, as they were outfitted with large amounts of gun batteries and much stronger shielding. Batteries of long guns and heavy guns complemented the additional quad turbolaser batteries added to the battleships when the war erupted. Each ship was also now so powerful due to the increased amount of power devoted to offensive and defensive systems that a whole flotilla of Republic Star Destroyers was needed just to bring one of the ship's shields down. The Clone Wars refitted models were true battleships and were one of the most powerful ships in the Confederate Navy. Due to their firepower and strong shielding and armor, and large starfighter complements, these battleships were often used as command ships and blockade vessels. History Origins When the Trade Federation began forming its military, the Executive Board realized the need for large cruisers to transport their weapons across the galaxy, battleships to defend against starfighter attacks, and flagships for controlling their vast legions of battle droids. Unwilling to spend the credits necessary to construct and purchase a fleet of military vessels, the Trade Federation began modifying a portion of its thousands of Lucrehulk-class freighters into warships. Their early navy had about 10 % of all of these freighters converted to battleships and by the battle of Naboo, some 35 % of the class had undergone refitting. Invasion of Naboo The Trade Federation used a large fleet of Lucrehulk-class battleships to reinforce the blockade and invasion of Naboo, led by the flagship Saak'ak. The most important vessel in the Trade Federation's blockade was the Lucrehulk-class Droid Control Ship Vuutun Palaa. This ship controlled the legions of Trade Federation battle droids which were the heart of it's forces. When the rest of the blockade dispersed after Naboo was successfully occupied, the Neimoidians left the Droid Control Ship in orbit to coordinate their droid forces. The Control Ship was later destroyed by the young Anakin Skywalker, resulting in the deactivation of the Droid Army. After the Invasion of Naboo, the Republic ordered the Trade Federation to disband its military forces. They craftily pretended to comply with this command by apparently disassembling most of its battleships, only to transform their centrispheres into detachable core ships capable of carrying supplies as well as increasing the battleship's armaments. In 27 BBY, two of these vessels were used to try to destroy Outbound Flight. The Chiss Commander Thrawn destroyed one of the Lucrehulks, allowing the other to surrender. The Clone Wars Lucrehulk-class core ships were used during the Battle of Geonosis, where they carried legions of battle droids. In retreat, the Core Ships reattached themselves to the outer ring. These vessels saw continued use during the devastating Clone Wars, transporting military equipment and troops to countless worlds, and engaging Republic fleets in combat. During the wars, the Lucrehulk-class battleship received a mass overhaul in terms of firepower, with the addition of hundreds of long guns, quad guns, and heavy guns dotting the surface of both the core ship and the surrounding cargo arms. They, along with the other capital ships of the Confederate Navy, proudly wore the colors and insignia of the Confederacy. A few dozen were used during General Grievous's attack on Coruscant towards the end of the war. Later use During the reign of the Galactic Empire, some militarized Lucrehulks remained in operation, fighting to defend Separatist holdouts or being incorporated into early Rebel Alliance units. A few battleships kept in Imperial surplus stock were sold to the Corporate Sector and to wealthy merchants. Other ships were completely dismantled and sent to garbage dumps like Raxus Prime. Several captured Lucrehulks were pressed into service in the Imperial Navy and used to host flight schools for military fighter pilots. One of several of the Rebel Alliance's Lucrehulks-class battleships, the Fortressa served as a starfighter carrier, carrying a complement of hundreds of T-65 X-wing starfighters. In 0 BBY, it participated in an assault on the first Death Star and was destroyed by the battle station's superlaser. In 36 ABY, dozens of Lucrehulk-series freighters were acquired by forces allied with The Killik Colony and used as carriers for their Dartships during the Swarm War.